Detecting device for cigarette turning machines



Nov. 1, 1932. M. P. E. HOHN 1,886,016

DETECTING DEVICE FOR CIGARETTE TURNING MACHINES Filed Nov. 5. 1951INVENTOR':

Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAX PAUL ERNST HOHN,OF DRESDEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR '10 UNIVERSELLE CIGARETTENMASCHINEN-FABRIKJ. O. IMULLER'Sz (30., OF DRESDEN, GERBIANY DETECTING DEVICE FORCIGARETTE TUBNIN G MACHINES Application filed November 5, 1831, SerialNo. 573,243, and in Germany March 5, 1931.

position during their feed from the cigarette I machine to the packingmachine to employ feelers, pawls or the like, which rest against theseam and thus cause the cigarette to be adjusted into the correctposition. F or example, this is effected by the feeler or pawl feeler.

being driven by the travelling cigarette, thus setting into operationmechanically, electrically, pneumatically or in any other manner, areversing device for the cigarette in question, or by the feeler movingagainst the cigarette to effect such release or by the feeler rotatingthe cigarette directly and thereby initiating the turning thereof, orfinally by rotating the cigarette against the stationary feeler untilthe seam comes against the In all these instances, it was customary toemploy thin metal springs or the like as feelers, the said feelershaving a certain width to obtain a surer engagement.

It has now been found that, with such feel ers consisting of broad, thinsprings, errors may occur in exploring, in that a smooth passage isprovided at one point on the seam, perhaps due to exuded adhesive or thedeposition of a grain of dust, or the like, on which the pawl or feelerslides without engaging the seam. It is suificient, of course, if onlyone narrow strip of the feeler is passed over the seam, because thefeeler is comparatively rigid over its entire width.

The object of the present invention is to obviate this disadvantage andto provide a feeler which is effective in all cases, even when there isto some extent a smooth passage on the explored place of the cigarette,

i. e. when the front end of theoverlapping paper is not sufiicientlyfree as to provide an abutment for the feeler. For this purpose, thefeeler according to the invention, is formed of small individual finerods which are arranged adjacent one another along the requisite widthof the feeler. Preferably, bristles will be employed for this purposealthough, of course, other substances of like stiffness and strength maybe used. Glass threads'or metal threads may also be used, for example,although with the latter there is a greater risk of the paper being tornthan with bristles.

One'constructional form of the invention is shown by way of example inthe drawing,

wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of that part of the cigaretteconveyor which is under consideration, and

Figure 2 is a view of a detail on an enlarged scale.

In the drawing, a is the cigarette conveyor, preferably consistingofchain links. The chain runs at one side over a sprocket wheel I), thesprocket wheel on the other side not being shown. The cigarettes liesingly in troughs of the chain and pass between profiled rolls 0 and d,the peripheral speed of which corresponds to the forward movement of thechain. In addition the two rolls 0 and (Z have the same peripheralspeed, so that the successive cigarettes conveyed by the chain a areheld consecutively between the troughs of the rolls 0 and (Z, the saidtroughs supplementing one another to form a complete sheath. While thecigarette is held in the manner described, it is engaged by the feeler.In the constructional example shown, a lever e is provided, which ispivotally mounted on a pin 7 on a lever 57 which latter in turn, ispivotally mounted on a pin h on one end of a double lever 71 whichswings about a pin k on the machine frame, and which carries on its freeend a stop screw m bearing against the machine frame. The lever gcarries a roller 9 and is so moved by a spring a that the rollorg restsagainst the periphery of a cam disc 0. The lever c carries a roller 6which in turn is held by a spring 39 against the periphery of a cam disc9. The cam discs have each four cam rises and they have to rotate at aspeed such that, on the conveying of one cigarette, the two discs willhave rotated through a quarter of a revolution, i. e. through one camdivision. The bracket 8 for the actual feeler is attached to the frontend of the lever e and swings about a pin r. The said feeler consists ofbristles t, carried by a holder 14 and gripped between two clamp- 8 withthe bristles in the position shown in Figure 2, in which position, dueto the provision of th spring 10, the bristles yieldingly engage thefront edge of the cigarette. A support 12, engaging below the bristlessecures the bristles against downward sliding.

Accordingly the device so operates, that, each time a cigarette passesbetween two congruent troughs of the discs 0 and d, the feeler executesa downward movement and then a movement towards the front edge of theseam to explore the latter. If the feeler thereby engages the seam, thewhole of the feeier head will rock about the pivot 1', thereby closingin known manner an el'ectrical contact or releasing a mechanical orpneumatic relay which causes the turning of the cigarette ini question.The feeler 25 preferably consists of animal bristles of suitablestifi'ness, for example badger hair may be used for the purpose, but ofcourse, other artificial materials, i for example, glass hair or alsovery fine wires of a suitable metal or the like may be used, althoughanimal bristles have been found to be most suitable.

I claim: .7

l. A feeler for detecting incorrectly lying cigarettes in packingmachines, comprising a brush which is adapted toengage the seam of anincorrectly lying cigarette.

2. A feeier according to claim 1, wherein the brush is composed of aplurality ofanima] bristles. 1

3. A feeler according to claim 1, wherein the brush is composed of aplurality of badger hairs or bristles.

In testimony whereof 1 have afiixed my signature. 7 7 7 PAUL ERNST HOHN?

